Rangers-Jets in review

1) Henrik Lundqvist ties Mike Richter’s franchise record of 301 career wins. He will probably break it in the next seven-plus years. Seriously, this was the kind of win Richter (and Lundqvist) appreciated. One where you had to battle, to hang in, to have a short memory and worry about the next shot. Lundqvist sure did that. He had no chance on the first goal by big Byfuglien, and though there were a couple of mess-ups on the Andrew Ladd goal, and Ladd fired an absolute laser in the upper corner stick side, Lundqvist wanted it back. Then he threw a shutout the rest of the night, including that sliding, whacked-out play above the circles, and a remarkable save on Frolik at 3-2 about seven minutes into the third.

2) And by the way, you guys know I love youse and your antics — you know, like, Carl Hagelin’s got to sit; Martin St. Louis is a bust; and especially, this one: “Our $8.5M goalie has to stop that shot.” So I guess for the next seven years, Lundqvist has to stop every single shot, and not allow a goal to anyone, on any kind of shot, ever. Whereas, at $6.875M — which is what he is still making this season — he’s allowed to occasionally give one up. Occasionally. And goalies who make less than that are free to give up a few more?

3) Lundqvist will destroy Richter’s record, of course. But part of me wonders what Richter’s record might look like if A) he played in an era where ties were broken via skills competition and goalies were allowed to wear mattresses on their legs, Incredible Hulk costumes under their shirts and peach baskets on their hands; B) he hadn’t had ACL tears to both knees; C) he hadn’t had his career shortened by the fractured skull and ensuing concussions; and D) If he wasn’t saddled with those God-awful post-1997, post-Mark Messier teams that never got a sniff of a playoff series.

4) Carl Hagelin. Good for him. You know, he’s been inconsistent, but he has also in his still very young career scored in bunches. Better hope this starts a bunch. The first goal was a good one, in that he went to the dirty area, the second was huge in that he followed up the play with 6.7 seconds left in the period, a terrific decision at that point, and broke a 2-2 tie, and the third was a good pass by Brad Richards, and then all of Hagelin’s wheels — his best weapon.

5) Speaking of which, the Rangers sure hadn’t been getting a lot of bounces lately, nor have they deserved them. But you can’t get many more bounces than the Rangers got on the 1-0 goal by Hagelin. First Brad Richards took a draw and didn’t win it, but it hit the linesman’s skate and went cleanly back to the point. Then Kevin Klein’s shot was deflected out of mid-air by Benoit Pouliot. I thought it hit a Jets defenseman and Hagelin deflected it again.

6) And, funny, isn’t it, how scoring a few goals (and getting some big saves) hides some imperfect play. No game is ever perfect, but the Rangers had been mucking up just enough defensive coverages lately to lose games — because they haven’t scored enough. And, well, the Carolina game was just an inexcusable lack of effort. But they scored goals, timely goals, in this one, and all the mistakes were cleaned up.

7) The first line sure played a lot more like a first line. I thought that Derek Stepan was better — tremendous lead bank-pass to Chris Kreider, who finished by — ta-dah — hitting the net, which the Rangers didn’t do nearly enough in this game. The way things have gone lately, it’s shocking Stepan’s pass didn’t hit the leaping linesman. The Rangers need that line, and they need Kreider to be scoring again, and he’s getting some goals now. Could be huge.

8) Which brings us to the Daily Nash-O-Meter. Nash is Nash, by now that’s apparent. He’s never going to hit anybody ever. He’s not going to win any Selkes. But he drove to the net — and he drew a penalty, which happens about as often as a lunar eclipse — was involved around the puck. That’s as good as it gets. And he will score if he plays that way.

9) On the game-winner, with 6.7 left in the second, Martin St. Louis came out of the box after a good kill, made a magical pass under Al Montoya’s stick, and Hagelin wisely decided to not go for a change, instead flying to the net. And I thought Derick Brassard’s drive to the net helped Hagelin get open, too. Good play all around. Maybe it was smart of St. Louis to take that penalty (sarcasm).

10) Not sure yet about the St. Louis-Mats Zuccarello union. But it was better than St. Louis was with Hagelin and Richards. Zuccarello, on an odd-man rush (and Ryan McDonagh did it later, too) missed the net. That CAN’T happen. Almost guaranteed to be an odd-man rush the other way. Both were.

11) On the Dustin Byfuglien goal, I thought either Dan Girardi or Ryan McDonagh could have done more. That said, Girardi was on the defenseman-turned-forward all night long, and it looked like a fullback trying to block Vince Wolfork. But Girardi hung in, battled, blocked shots, and I thought had a fabulous game. McDonagh too.

12) The Anton Stralman-Marc Staal pair? Not so much. Stralman made a bad decision on the 2-1 goal, then took a penalty, and with all of his bad play piling up lately, you wonder where his walk season is going.

13) Hey, the Rangers are soft, and they are softer now without Ryan Callahan. They’re not going to outmuscle bigger teams like Winnipeg, San Jose, Boston, St. Louis. But that doesn’t mean they have to play soft. And in this game, against a big team (in a loud arena), I didn’t think they played particularly soft. This is how they will have to play the rest of the way, and in the playoffs, for however long they last. I thought, the night before in Minnesota, around the defensive net on the game-winning goal by Zach Parise, and around the offensive net in the final seconds, were two of the softest plays I’ve seen this season. Both of them.

14) So now Richards hasn’t meshed well with Marian Gaborik, Nash, Callahan or St. Louis.

15) I say this almost daily. The Rangers really do get productive, effective forecheck shifts from their fourth line every game. What a difference a year makes.

506 Comments

Thanks Carp, succinct as always. Enjoyed watching the game, thought there was good flow. Stralman has his shortcomings, but hes got some wheels and edge when hes on, maybe try him with Moore on 3rd pair and move Klein up? MSL has to be frustrated with the off net shots his passes are resulting in, he played with a great finisher in Stamkos. He doesnt seem to let it bother him effort wise, aside from a stick slam or 2 after the miss

I have said this many times, but my favorite part of the Rangers wins is the next morning. I get to sit with a cup of joe and read Carp’s wrap up.

What really impressed me about the Sharks is not just their physical play, but their skating. That team can skate! The rangers can hang with them in that dept though. In the physical dept, not so much.

You didn’t mention John Moore Carp, I think 2 or 3 years from know, we will be talking about how we fleeced the Blue Jackets for this kid. Talk about skating ability!! WOW!!

Your comment about the 4th line is right on. And, it is interesting because I hated carcillo, but, I have to give him props. He has done a great job since he got here and is MUCH more than a goon. The guy can play Hockey.

Also, I listen to a podcast about the rangers called blueshirt underground radio. I love the two guys who do the podcast. They are hysterical and typical hard core crazy ranger fans. But their following (and the two guys) have this hatred of Brian Boyle. Is Boyle the 20 goal scorer we once saw? NOT EVEN CLOSE!! Is Brian Boyle an important member of the 4th line? Does he do a good job killing penalties? A BIG YES to both questions. Having an effective fourth line is KEY. It killed us in the playoffs against the Devils a couple of years ago. If we had THIS 4th line, who knows? Anyway, I am wondering if I am the only one who thinks that Boyle is having a good year for the Rangers?

Hags now has 14 goals while getting ZERO time on the power play. Neither Torts nor this new guy has ever experimented with giving him at least a month to see how it would go?

Take away the PP goals for everybody else on this team and how is Hags doing in the goal-scoring department by comparison? In other words, given PP time Hags would be approaching 20 goals this season.

He scored 12 short-handed goals his final season in college. Why the hell cannot some rocket scientist behind the bench figure out that that might translate into his getting a couple scoring opportunities per game on the PP, or at least setting up the “finishers” around here (all 1.5 of them) around the net?

I do not pucking get it, especially given that this team is not exactly overloaded with a bunch of stud goal scorers.

You fans simply do not understand the responsibilities of making 7 mils and promising rich Uncle Glennie that you will not hurt yourself before the end of the season…you wonder why I just poke a stick into the scrum rather than take a chance of tweaking my wrists or being struck silly by a puck or a stick? Get real, guys…

Accurate observations, Carp…interesting to see what happens when chemistry of such a strong personality (Cally) plus new coach/system are tampered with by the GM. The result is a team that seriously needs group therapy. Not that I believe Cally should have been signed at that price, and I don’t. I think that other GMs will think twice about offering Cally’s price after they see the train wreck of a result after he left. I genuinely believe that AV relied on him to cement the team more than was apparent on the surface.

Robby Bonfire, I’m having trouble extrapolating short-handed play to power-play. It’s not surprising at all that Hagelin scored a bunch of short handed goals, his strongest skill is speed. Speed is great on the penalty kill but pretty much worthless on the power-play. You want shooters and play makers on your power-play, Hagelin is neither.

I guess now that Hagelin scored a hat trick the Rangers should resign him for $5m a year for six years……Until the next game he doesn’t score. Then we should trade him.

I’m a Klein and J Moore fan let them play….out with Stralman and get yourself a banger back there. Possible move Staal, very nervous about him getting put to bed. The D is not our problem. Richards $ and everything about Nash are, in that order.

I’m going to make the assumption that, since our front office made an offer to Stralman in excess of what I think he’s worth, that the organization does *not* believe in any of the players down in Hartford.

Which means, Fat Guy, that they have no one to replace them. In the opinion if the organization.

As to team toughness, there were a few guys that stepped up last night and it showed. Actually Boyler had a number of hits and ‘tough’ plays. I liked his game, have always liked him and what he adds to the team in so many unsung ways. Last night was good evidence of what he can to.

If goals are what you assess good play by, he sucks.

If the little things to help a team win work for you, then he’s a good 4th liner. If the price is right.

Richards doesn’t mesh with other players because he seems so incredibly slow. He is unbelievably soft…I have never seen him throw the body…
Never…ever.
I think he’s a keeper for the new softer Rangers.

I still can’t get over Dubinsky and Anisimov for Nash…the player so many thought we should have.
I’d take those two back in a second…

It so amazes that in his playing days Sather was such a rough and tough NHLer but yet has left this team totally defenseless in that regard. Plain and simply there is absolutely no way this team can win a 7 game playoff series against bigger and more physical teams.

Specifically, Has me wondering whether Lundqvist makes the huge save on Richer in OT of game 7 against the Devils (glove hand) that Richter made minutes before Matteau scored……… Or if Hank plays game six against the Devils like Richter did?

Unfortunately I believe we’d be going on 74 years w/o the Cup if Hank was in net in 94.

Hard to say Hank would win with 94. The team on paper was sooo tough, no weakness, however the were fragile and ripe for the taking because all of the pressure. I love Leetch but man o man Mikey bailed us out so many times during that run. If I had to guess I would say we wouldn’t have won. Totally hypothetical. Mikey with the Conn Smyth over Leetch that’s a good debate. Leetch had as good a playoff run for a D man as Orr including Potvin n Coffey, yet Richter was unbelievable

Staal has definitely hit a rough patch. You have to hold him and just about every other Dman responsible for the gaffs in post Olympic play.

As for Richards not working well with St Louis I hope it remains that way. instant chemistry or any legitimate chemistry that gets them talking about “the ex Lightning duo” is just going to equate to a bad business decision to keep BR. A serviceable center making 2-3 million a year can replace him.

RE: Nash. They need to find a way to unload him too.
I feel like it’s the same scenario as Richards. For the money he’s tying up within the team’s budget they could be paying someone half of what he makes to get the results he produces. You’d have less skill but probably more consistency. Which one of those things matters more in the end?

“I have been saying trade Staal and we still should, need bite back there we do not have.”

I agree

“As for Richards not working well with St Louis I hope it remains that way. instant chemistry or any legitimate chemistry that gets them talking about “the ex Lightning duo” is just going to equate to a bad business decision to keep BR. A serviceable center making 2-3 million a year can replace him.”

He is playing this way because he wants to be bought out. Getting bought out is his ultimate goal, then he can either retire filthy rich or try to sign short contract at a lot of money. It is all about the money and not getting hurt by staying away from any physical play. The guy is an absolute cancer especially if he gives advices to our young players.

Wick- I honestly think they need to find some physicality and skill at center if they’re ever going to have a chance at anything. That means Either Richards or Stepan have to go. Not that it won’t get me another lecture about “this is a win now team” but I wonder what would happen if they put Nash on the trade block this summer.

“He is playing this way because he wants to be bought out. Getting bought out is his ultimate goal, then he can either retire filthy rich or try to sign short contract at a lot of money. It is all about the money and not getting hurt by staying away from any physical play. The guy is an absolute cancer especially if he gives advices to our young players.”

Carp, do you think it’s realistic that the buyout for Richards still happens? I mean, just like with Callahan it’s a business decision. You sat at that presser with Sather at the deadline. Does Richards really equate to the type of player Sather argued was the type to warrant 6 mill a year?

i don’t know James. but somebody at msg has to be smart enough to understand the cap recapture penalty, right? I mean, the penalty will be much worse than having paid Callahan what he wanted … because there won’t be a player taking up that cap hit.

I would very much like to see Byfuglen in a Blueshirt next year. The guy is a beast. I also like the nastiness of Stuart and Bogosian. I would like to see someone (McIlrath) back there with some attitude.

Not executing the buyout on Richards would be a catastrophic error by Sather. No way Richards plays to the end of the contract, and the Rangers bear all of the burden even if they would trade him. I am still puzzled as to how the NHLPA allowed a “retroactive” penalty like this. It is Bettman punishing clubs for contracts that were permissible under the old CBA. Just like the reduction of the Devils penalty for Kovalchuk, somebody should take this recapture rule to arbitration.

It appears that I, along with the Vancouver Canucks, have a better understanding of the penalty than you do. With the salary cap rising by a large percentage in future years and the highest of the penalty coming in what would be the final 3 seasons of Richards contract, the effect would not be as crippling as you have made it out to be. You referred to not buying out Richards in the offseason this week as organizational suicide.

Those clamoring for Richards buyout in the offseason should not complain about the consequential rising Cablevision and MSG ticket prices. The money that Richards will receive for not being with the team will also be reinvested in the attempt to replace Richards production.

And let’s be honest…..Stepan appears to finally have his act together after missing camp. Losing Richards will not hurt all that much. I am not in favor of overpaying for Stastny. He is an on again-off again player too. I would be fine with a center group of Stepan/Brassard/Miller and Moore to start the year next year. Find someone else to trade for, but replacing Richards’ current production will not be that difficult. Much better risk to take than the risk of not buying him out.

And Cablevision and MSG ticket prices? LOL. The Rangers ticket prices have nothing to do with the salaries the Rangers pay. The cap ensures that the Rangers make huge bank on the Rangers regardless. Ticket prices went through the roof to pay for the “Transition.” Had nothing to do with player salaries. Alain-you are either a troll or a goof.

Shirley, the millions of dollars that Dolan would be paying Richards to not play for the Rangers in addition to the millions of dollars they would commit to his replacement would have no impact on the MSG ticket prices. :)

and frankly, since I probably will still be doing this and I literally could care less whether this team loses every game or wins six Cups in a row, I hope they make the crippling decision … will be much more fun around here when they make it, and then for the next six years.

I do find it funny, though, that people throughout the league front offices — including several in the Rangers front office — believe it would be catastrophic to not buy out Richards this summer. I think they understand it better than I do.

“and frankly, since I probably will still be doing this and I literally could care less whether this team loses every game or wins six Cups in a row, I hope they make the crippling decision … will be much more fun around here when they make it, and then for the next six years.”

CARP, you would really wish that ghoulish future upon us who support you from/by near and far?

“My sources” also tell me that Sam is making a move against the Tropagala. He can have the license, but I intend putting the squeeze on him, anyway. I don’t like his kind of people with their silk suits and oily hair coming up here to Montreal and polluting this clean air country.

Cally’s absence has made us a bit ‘un-tougher,’ but, although they are generally non-fighters, we do have some pretty ‘tough’ guys in this lineup, e.g.: Girardi, McD, The K, Boyler, 2 Moores, Klein, Falk, and even little Topo when he gets his Italian up. Then, add Dorsett and Carcillo. I think size, more than toughness might be our problemo.

“and frankly, since I probably will still be doing this and I literally could care less whether this team loses every game or wins six Cups in a row, I hope they make the crippling decision … will be much more fun around here when they make it, and then for the next six years.”

Very strange that Dolan, long acknowledged as a nefarious meddler with the Knicks, and an in-house presence at Ranger games, is seen as totally hands-off when it comes to the Rangers. Me wonders if he’s truly behind the curtain in Richie still being here. He prefers ‘Names” to effective performers.

_Am I correct in presuming you are an advocate of compounding one mistake with another mistake, and also spending $18MM of the owner’s money to the first mistake to play for another team?_

For me? Yes, I’m advocating spending the owner’s money, which I care nothing about, to rid the cap and roster of Richards for the next 6 seasons. That’s a no brainer. What’s nonsensical is advocating against Callahan but for keeping Richards when in years 4-6 the choice becomes Callahan at $6.25MM or the risk of an empty roster spot at $5.67MM. “Best case” there is Richards still playing his gutsy heart out for us on a technical $1MM cap hit rather than retiring. Choosing neither is a fine, logical choice. I prefer a yes on Cally and an amnesty on Richards. No on Cally and yes on Richards is, as I said above, nonsensical. 100%.

Let’s also remember Richter let in Zelepukin goal with 7 left. Devils hit posts in overtime. Canucks hit post with minutes left in game 7. Richter gave up the center ice slapshot to Pens in 92 turning point game. I say this with Richter being one of my all time favorites. Fine line between immortality and disappointment. Hank never had a team close to what Richter had. Hank wins in 94 easy.

If Rangers lose Game 6 or 7 vs. Devils or Game 7 vs. Vancouver (and all of them were one-goal wins) we’re not even discussing Richter-Lundqvist. That said, I think Richter is better until proven otherwise, though Richter probably never gets in the Hall of Fame and Lundqvist might.

Carp how could Hank possibly prove otherwise short of winning the cup? Which we know will not happen. I think you asked a great question earlier- would Hank have won in 94. Here’s another interesting one to noodle on- would Hank have won in 92?

If Henrik was on the 1992 and 1994 teams, I think he wins. Those teams were far superior to any of the Ranger teams Henrik has played on. Richter was great, but he was also human. The late goals he gave up in the semis to NJ and the finals to Vancouver, the long shot in Pittsburgh, the sieve-fest he produced in game 5 against Vancouver were regrettable. Richter’s finest moment was the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

Richter was a bit overrated in my opinion, a couple of brilliant parts of his career (94 and 96 wc) but overall an above average goalie but not stellar (just proves my point with the correctly assembled group of skaters, you only need an above avg goalie to win the cup)

I think hank is the better goalie of the two, but he has to win a cup here or he will not be considered tops among most fans (and rightfully so until he wins a cup), and isn’t worth the cap hit IMHO (no goalie is).

I also think fatso is very overrated as so was osgood with Detroit. One had the benefit of league rules and a system and the other had one hell of a roster.

I think Roy (as in future Jack Adams winner) was the best goalie ever.

How in the hell anyone can blame a goalie for allowing an “extra attacker” goal is beyond me? In fact, all goalie GA averages should be for even-strength, exclusively, with minutes played factored in, of course. So I cut Richter 100% slack on that late New Jersey goal, in ’94.

Can’t believe how everybody in the world actually treats this phony, gratis power play rule like the teams are really at even-strength!

Well, friend, if you have 25 players, on the Mets or whomever, of the Don Drysdale “ability level,” your team wins 83 games in a 162 game schedule. That was Drysdale for his career, moving up the teams he pitched for an average of two games per season, which you calculated by deducting the pitchers W-L record from the teams’ overall W-L record, and multiplying the percentage difference between the two by 162.

Hall of Fame country, in this regard is 5+ games per season. Koufax had four HOF seasons, 1962-1965, when he moved his team up 7-7-8 and 8 games in the W-L column. His 1961 season, reflexively written up as a HOF caliber season, falls way short of the mark.

We do know the Don Drysdales, Tony Perez’s, George Kell’s and Scooter Rizzuto’s, etc. of the world do not belong in the HOF, do we not?

Carp,
you asked earlier if anybody thought the Rangers win the Cup with Hank in 94. I say no. Richter was a superb athlete, and that Ranger team was not a defense first team. an athletic goalie was needed on that team. I do not think Hank is an athletic goalie. he is more of a positional goalie. a let the puck hit him goalie. I do not think Hanks style would have thrived in that era.

Franklin -,have no fear. Once carp gets his golden parachute and gold plated pen…I’ll be running this blog. I’m a Pulitzer Prize winning Nobel prize awarded fields medal winner. There will be no letdown in quality. I will also allow naughty language. Stay tuned for more….

I’ll give you that he whiffed in Game 5. Richter had little work to do in rounds one and two in ’94, but he definitely came up big in rounds three and four. Henrik had it all to do in rounds one and two in ’12. So that’s two rounds in each season that the goaltender was pivotal in. Hank hasn’t played on a team anywhere near as good as those Rangers, so I’m going to give Henrik a pass on one bad game until he gets close a few more times, if he ever does what with Slats Revere and Dolan running the show.

its hard to have Richter, Hank comparison’s with sounding like I am knocking Hank. Hank’s numbers say all you need to know about him. he just has not yet had his signature moment. when and if he does, it becomes a different conversation. until then, it Richter.

one could argue that Richter was so good in rounds one and two, that it enabled the team to rest. while Hank could not get over the hump till game 7 both times. for example, Richter was out of his mind in game 3 against Isles in round 1.

Hard to believe a Ranger fan who witnessed the 94 playoffs could criticize the only goalie who has won a cup for the organization in the last 74 years by recalling several hit posts and goals scored while the other team pulled their goalie. Watch the tapes and look at the unbelievable goaltending display in game 6 while the Rangers were down 2-0 and getting soundly beaten to every loose puck. The Devils came in waves and Richter withstood the onslaught in spectacular fashion.

Wow! Carp getting his shoes shined Army bright by a coupla posters today! And some of it deserved:-).

Great review, except for 2.

Hank doesn’t have to save every shot. But, in a sense, he and Brad and Rick are “on-ice dead money.”
Toronto, a handful of games back: there are goalies in the league who would have, as part of their everyday style, stopped the pass from behind the net for the winning goal. Relatively deep-in-his-crease Hank usually won’t. Just one of the ways a goalie, especially like Hank, can’t dictate the flow of the game the way a skater can, and why most sane orgs would never think of paying a goaler that much, and why almost every cup lately is not won by the highest-paid guy at that position.

But as he failed to even be in position to stop that pass, he was still (or will be) making the same huge dent in the cap, and the better players that the blind squirrels MIGHT have acquired with the extra dough weren’t on ice to score that one extra goal often the difference in Hank games.

When Rick plays one of his patented low-effort half-a-mil
games, that $7 mil+ left over is not available for the blind squirrels to rush a replacement. Still goes to Rick.

You can win a cup, these days, with a relatively modest
(4-5 million at this year’s levels?) goalie hot at the right time, blessed with a few short series by the collected talent around him (one reason Hank struggled against Devs was that his guys made him go seven against the eighth and seventh seeds, wearing him down). Yet to be proven you can win with a cap-blaster, especially a guy making 20% more than any other guy at that spot.

Hank vs. Mike: I watched Mike as a Badger. Every reason to like him. But game in, game out, Hank is better.
No doubt. But does Hank rise to occasion the way flawed
Mike (and many cup winners of late have) did? Some doubt.
Some serious doubt.

Papa, I once did a study of that OT hunch considering I feel the same way. Hank’s collectively faced 40 more shots in OT than opposing goalies have, and has played in 4 games where NYR failed to even register a shot in OT. I can also think of two fluke OT losses off the top of my head – Madden off Staal’s skate, and Gaborik to Chimera in 2OT. In the latter game he stopped Ovechkin on a breakaway in the first overtime period.

Richter was awesome, CARP made some interesting points in the review which reinforce that, and he was the reason I played puckstopper in my younger days. But if/when (not by/from) Hank gets a cup, I think the debate between the two swings a lot more in favor of Hank.

If Gernander was a Torts type system coach teaching the kids and preparing them to play in Torts system ……how than can he also be an AV type coach teaching the kids and preparing them to play in AV’s system too?

If he is so good that he can master 2 entirely different systems, why isn’t he coaching at the NHL level????

e3. I disagree. I think he was worse than Lundqvist … but maybe he understood better that he was deficient and didn’t try to do it as much. Plus he kinda had much, much, much better puck-handling d-men.

Alain – throw those stats out the window. Too often when the rangers needed a big goal, it never happened. That team had serious issues on the PP and scoring in general. Then, out if the blue, they’d score 5,6, or 7 goals. But when needed most, the Rangers failed to deliver…

:)) Papa, Nicky was such a great counterpuncher, he and his “opponent” were called for delay of game on a couple occasions that I remember. They kept distance and wouldn’t throw first. Them was the days. We need a man like Herbert Hoover again!

Funny part – some of them would come up to me, holding a beer, and say “How you been doin’? inflating my ego. Then, they’d say, ‘I saw you talking to that babe over there in the blue top, how about an introduction.” I think I was used more of a pimp than a good buddy. :)

Papa, I don’t pretend to know anything about Gernander — though I did cover his entire NHL playing career. Maybe some coaches’ are seen as teachers/developers and not necessarily NHL win-at-all-cost coaches. I know Bill Dineen, for one, was a wonderful minor-league coach, and didn’t get much of a sniff to be an NHL head coach. Again, I’m guessing. I have never ever seen a single shift of a Gernander-coached team, except when he coaches some Rangers preseason games while Torts was upstairs (strapped into his seat).

and, yeah, you say he should develop a lot of talent if he’s a good developmental coach, except that they have to give him talent before he can develop it. He had guys like McDonagh, Staal, Callahan, Dubinsky, Hagelin, etc. for brief times and they did OK. He also had Asham, Brashear and Avery, so …

I hope next year J.T. Miller is playing for the rangers. This kid is going to be a decent player. He is only 20, shows good size, has some playable toughness and I think he can be a 20 goal scorer. I would have him replace Pouliot next year. I am all in on trading Lundqvist. The rangers can get a good package for lundqvist now that he is locked up for 8 years. Than make Talbot the starting goaltender. That would be the smart move fore the organization but we all know it won’t happen because Sather loves making dumb moves to keep the rangers mediocre.

“Every game we go to OT in the playoffs with Hank in the net, I feel like we are going to lose.

Can’t help it, I just feel that way.

Everytime.”

me too, I have no confidence in this team especially in OT.

“and, yeah, you say he should develop a lot of talent if he’s a good developmental coach, except that they have to give him talent before he can develop it. He had guys like McDonagh, Staal, Callahan, Dubinsky, Hagelin, etc. for brief times and they did OK. He also had Asham, Brashear and Avery, so …”

if your AHL team fails to make playoffs year after year or gets eliminated in the 1st round, you are missing out on a lot of important development time for the prospects.

I once wrote to Richter about supporting important environmental causes in the city and environs…he never wrote back, but did obviously forward it on and had attention from the higher ups…due to privacy reasons, I can’t name them, but have respect for management at the time (it was not anyone with initials GS)

Papa you misread. Richter is an all time Ranger. He was as much responsible for the game 6 comeback as Messier, stopping wave after wave of Devils counter attacks when Rangers were down 2-0 and pressing for their first goal.

The point about the posts was that there is a very fine line between Richter’s immortality and being an all time disappointment. He let up some bad goals, at bad times, had some bad games, in all his playoff runs. Game 5 in 94 finals the Rangers came back and tied it and Richter failed to stop the Canuck counter attack. Could have sewn up the cup in game 5. He arguably cost them a cup run in 92. As someone said all is forgotten because of the win.

I love Mike Richter and none of this is to take anything away from what he accomplished. But to not acknowledge how easily thngs could go either way for a goalie, and to not acknowledge that his teams were miles better than anything Hank played behind, and generally the Hank bashing, is just silly.

The Captain pretty much sucked in that series too. Was hurt early. Got abused by Francis on the GWG in OT (I think it was OT, after the 65-footer). He looked like Richards in the d-zone in that game.
Then he decided to get the coach fired, but that’s another story.

Just think, if The Slats does go this summer, to where he cannot come back, Cally can and might just crawl back to the new man in charge, for a reasonable contract amount and length. I would put him down for 5 Mil and tell him he gets an extra 150K for each goal over 20 he scores on the season. Incentives work.

possibly, because there are no state taxes in Florida and probably no City taxes they could have offered Callahan lower money, but after tax amount would have been higher than in NY. But Callahan might be obsessed about Buffalo and his grandma.

I wonder if Yzerman thinks Callahan is nuts asking so much after seeing him play up close. But if they would offer Callahan 6 mil per year that would mean about 6.8 million in NY, because NY has higher taxes and higher prices. Let’s hope they warm up to each other after more games and maybe a playoff run.

didn’t roy basically do the same thing in a game before Christmas where he pushed the glass that divides the benches. Typical nhl, nothing will be done to roy. Than the nhl wonders why they can’t expand the fan base.

sorry about my presumption, but Callahan’s body language says to me he is not happy in Tampa. He’s doing his best to convince us and him that it’s a ‘fresh start’, but he is lying through his teeth. He blew it.

“Callahan just said “the Rangers moved on.” He didn’t say he did. Come back in the summer Cally!”

he moved on a long time ago when the greed got the best of him.

“sorry about my presumption, but Callahan’s body language says to me he is not happy in Tampa. He’s doing his best to convince us and him that it’s a ‘fresh start’, but he is lying through his teeth. He blew it.”

I agree, I saw 1 highlight few days ago when Tampa players were celebrating a goal and one of the Tanpa players tapped Callahan on the helmet pretty hard and Callahan did not look too happy about that. He was “the man” the captain in NY, now he is a nobody a mercenary.

But seeing a behind the scenes video of the players in the Olympics it was very clear that Callahan is just too uptight and not very vocal or talkative to be a very good captain than compared to guys like Dustin Brown.

Girardi is more loose, smiling, and talkative he would make a great captain and is locked up for next 6 years.

the comment that he made about Callahan tells me that as a captain all the guidance he gives players is he tells them “always do it the right way” without any actual detailed advice or guidance. That is not a captain material, maybe “A” but really just a guy that keeps his mouth shut and plays hard.

I miss a lot of people. This team was good. It had an identity. Guys that wanted to win. The team got gutted and we, as fans, definitely have to bear some of the responsibility for wanting Nash types in our team. Being enamored with guys who score. We always think something new will be better but it never is.

Sather recently overpaid in a trade for 2 soft players that threw a fit with their teams that they wanted to go to NY Rangers. Sad. What a sad of excuse of a GM we have. Other GMs work hard to find good players and make good trades, our schmuck just accept any ridiculous deals that other GMs throw at him.

unbelievable. First 2 wild players scored in the shootout, first jacket player missed and the 2nd, anisimov scored with a unbelievable move. all the wild goalie needed to do is stop the next jacket player and the wild win and of course he doesn’t, now tied 2-2. The wild player misses and the jacket player scores, game jackets who are now tied with the rangers with 76 points and a game in hand. I see the rangers fighting for the last wild card spot to make the playoffs.

Carp, my apologies. just back from a long night out. Didn’t intend to ignore you’re Gernander rebuttal.

I hear you loud and clear. I really have no legit foundation for my argument against Gernander except to say I’m tired of the same old, same old with this organization. But, that’s probably more due to transference of my Sather hate than a legit tangible argument to have Gernander canned.